I'll be curious to see if there's a fallout in Japan over the lack of the first-person battle system that's appeared in every other title, given that tradition is pretty much the reason DQ7 appeared as it did, complete with old sound effects and all. Personally, I prefer the old way; the screenshots seem to be showing battle animations that would be quite a bit more lengthy than the ones in previous games, and I've always liked the brisk pace of DQ's battle engine.

That reminds me, does anyone think an RPG like Fallout would sell in Japan? They don't seem to go for that open-ended stuff, but I could be wrong. Has Fallout, or any similar RPGs, been released in Japan? If so, what kind of reception did they get?

I loved Dragon Warrior 7, I may be the only person in America that loved that game but I did. It's just so ugly, the psuedo-3d engine they used looked far worse than the game would have looked if they had just stuck to a 2d engine. The DW series has never been about eye-candy, I understand this, but still...

While the Final Fantasys have gotten more about CGI, and intricate stories full of angst ridden characters with goofy clothes and bad hair cuts, DW has stayed closer to its fantasy roots and offered good stories, great gameplay, and an overall deeper experience in each outing.

I would love for #8 to come state side, hopefully with a prettier outside so more people will look inside.

In my experience, the people who disliked DQ7 (except for the complete graphics whores), just didn't get the game while they were playing through it. The way the game's structured, you have to actively put together the storyline--It's not a bunch of fractured mini-stories, but you don't really figure out a lot of the islands' interconnections until late in the game. The people I've pointed that out to have mostly gone and replayed the game and gotten a lot more enjoyment out of it.

Do you guys think it's a good idea to keep things medieval as the previous installments?
Sure it's kool to kill slimes, bables, and dragons, gamble, and get lost in dungeons - The formula works, but..
Do we really need a new 3D update?
Maybe combining 3D with a futuristic Toriyama conceived world will give it a new life
I personally think that DW/DQ is the quintisential RPG, the original DW was challenging, long and the fact that you had to use your imagination made it more enjoyable.
Who wasn't excited when they were strong enough to face dragonlord? or when you encountered Golem?
What about in DW2 when you found the Mirror of RA? or in DW3 when you found the old DW1 land and the traditional tune started playing?
DW has always been technologically less advanced than FF, but IMO, I think it was much better.

I played Final Fantasy I before I picked up Dragon Warrior I because I was intimidated by the challenge it presented. I was not prepared to go it alone on a quest. I thought it would be too hard. I was that sucked into the story line and game play by just the pictures I saw in Nintendo Power Magazine.

When I finally did play, I was glad I had waited. I was completely immersed. I think it was the first person view of the battles. It truly made me feel like I was the one questing to destroy the Dragon L

It was DW2 that had the original D1 landmass in the world. I think 2 & 3 both did, but 2 you find later in the game with the original music playing when you step on shore. Very nostalgic.

I would absolutely hate to see this game go "futuristic". That's what Final Fantasy is for. They wen't more and more sci-fi until I coulnd't stand it, only recently breaking off into a truely unique world.Phantasy Star is a series you might want to look into, considering that it has pretty much always incorporated

Yeah, all the advancement of old 2-d games to a 3-d environment always makes me nervous:Metroid Prime, Rockman 7, etc.

However, I think that the Enix arm of Squarenix will be able to pull this off. Enix has always produced the highest quality software. DQ7 was delayed a full year because they weren't happy with it. When released, it became the most-selling PSX game in Japan in the platform's history. My Japanese friend is telling me that DQ7 was released on a Wednesday - kids cut school, millions lined up o

The Dragon Quest game you are talking about that caused all the commotion, was Dragon Quest III. Every game in the series after that had to be released on a weekend or holiday (and they still do).

Another thing: Dragon Quest VII wasn't just the best selling PlayStation game of all time in Japan, it is the second best selling video game of all time in Japen on ANY platform. I believe the game has sold at least 4.09 million copies. The previous number two game was Tetris for GameBoy at 4.06 million copies. Th

As a big fan of his art I am glad they are going 3-d. The monster and character art for the entire DQ series has always been great. Will the wonderful weapons that Toriyama created be rendered as well.. I would love to see something like the multi-edge sword in 3-d.